Archaeologists working at the ancient settlement of Tavium located in Yozgat province in central Turkey have discovered more than 70 previously unknown ancient settlements, Turkish Daily News reported on Thursday.

The report said that the central province, best known for the Chalcolithic Period discoveries at its Alisar Tumulus and the Hittite era artifacts at Kerkenes, is likely to hold much more archaeological wealth than previously believed, and archaeologists said the new findings would shed more light on history.

Austrian archaeologist, Professor Karl Strobel, who is currently heading surveys and excavations at the ancient city of Tavium, was quoted as saying that he and his assistant had identified the previously unknown settlements in a very large area in Yozgat.

Strobel, who has been studying in the area since 1997, told reporters that the newly found settlements belonged to various periods in history, including Roman, Bronze Age, Byzantine, Hittite, Early Bronze, Chalcolithic, Early Chalcolithic, early and mid-Iron Age, Hellenistic and Ottoman.

Strobel said they had submitted a report on their discoveries to officials and were waiting for the sites to be registered as archaeological conservation areas.